How does ‘The Mandalorian’ explain Mando and Grogu’s reunion?

Warning: the following article contains spoilers for The Mandalorian season three, episode one, “The Apostate.”

The Mandalorian is back for season three and it answers how Mando and Grogu reunited in the vaguest way possible.

When we last left our favorite galactic duo in The Mandalorian season two finale, Mando had rescued Grogu and just defeated Moff Gideon aboard his ship. Dark Troopers were forcing their way inside the room Mando and his team was in, but Luke Skywalker arrived and slashed through their circuitry to save them. Mando made the difficult decision to give Grogu to Luke so that he could start his Jedi training and that’s how The Mandalorian season two ended.

Season three picks up with a Mandalorian ritual gone wrong. As a child is being inducted into the Mandalorian ranks by the water, a giant sea monster emerges and attacks all those who have gathered there to watch. As hard as these well-equipped Mandalorians tried to blast it and control it with cable lines, the sea monster wouldn’t relent. In the nick of time, Mando flies by in his shiny new N-1 Starfighter (with Grogu in the pod seat behind him) and blasts away the beast, exploding its guts all along the beach.

Mando speaks with the Armorer afterward, but they talk nothing of his reunion with Grogu. She’s more concerned about Mando having taken off his helmet and doesn’t budge from her position that in order for him to be redeemed, he must bathe in the living waters in the mines of Mandalore. Mando shows the Armorer a rare artifact and believes the planet is still habitable. Once he finds out for certain, he’ll report the information back to her and he’ll bring her back proof.

It’s not until Mando reunites with Greef Karga on Nevarro that Grogu is outright discussed. As Mando and Grogu walk through the town, they take in how much the place had leveled up since they had last been there. The streets are alive with aliens of all kinds, and a statue of IG-11 stands in tribute to the fallen droid who killed stormtroopers by self-destructing itself and consequently saving Grogu.

Mando and Grogu meet with Greef Karga, who’s now the High Magistrate, and he invites them into his office. The High Magistrate explains to him that Nevarro is an official trade spur of the Hydian Way and its citizens have come together to help make the place what it is. Karga offers Mando a nice place there to settle down. Karga says that he could live there with the “little one,” and Mando corrects him with his real name, “Grogu,” to which Karga replies, “If you say so.”

Karga’s under the impression that he completed his mission and he’s confused why Mando’s still running around with Grogu. Mando says that it’s complicated, he completed his quest and Grogu returned to him. And that’s it. He goes on to say that he removed his helmet and now he’s an apostate, but that’s really all we get from him about how they came back together. Mando’s a man of few words and Karga doesn’t inquire about it any further.

The full answer to this question is in The Book of Boba Fett season one, episode five, “The Return of the Mandalorian.” Grogu trains with Luke in the ways of the Jedi and he’s doing well for himself as it harkens back to Luke’s training with Yoda in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Mando goes to visit Grogu, but he’s told by Ahsoka that he can’t interrupt Grogu’s training. Luke can tell that Grogu misses Mando, and offers him a choice between the way of the Jedi and the path of the Mandalorian.

Grogu chooses the latter and rejoins Mando and flies to Tatooine by way of an X-wing piloted by R2-D2. Mando and Grogu help Boba Fett and Fennec Shand fight the invading Pykes in the streets of Mos Espa and Boba has a showdown with Cad Bane. Grogu shows what he’s learned from his Jedi training and puts the raging Rancor to sleep, then takes a nice little nap himself. After that, they fly off in the starfighter that’s been fixed by Peli Motto.